Augmentation
by VampireNaomi
Summary: Fujiko realizes something important after the episode "From Japan with Love" of Part IV.


**Augmentation**

Goemon wasn't at the hideout when they returned. A feeling of disappointment settled in Fujiko's chest. She'd been thinking about him on the long flight back to Italy, about the memory of his flushed face and his laughter at her jokes - neither of which had been real.

He knew where they had been and that they were coming back since Jigen had kept him informed about what was going on in Japan. He'd sent a brief reply to acknowledge their successful rescue of Lupin, but after that, there hadn't been a word from him. Nobody had been able to reach him. Goemon liked to keep his phone on silent, but Fujiko thought this was strange. Why wouldn't he watch his phone when he knew what they'd just been through?

"He could have at least made dinner for us," Lupin said as he collapsed on the couch. "First prison food, then airplane food. That's no way to live. Jigen, can you order take-out?"

"I'm beat. I'll do anything that's less effort than cooking."

"All you did was fire a few shots and look cool. I came up with the plan and did all the hard work," Fujiko said.

"Yeah, well I'm the one who hasn't slept in two days because all I've done is travel back and forth to help you clean your mess."

I didn't ask you to, Fujiko thought. Once, she might have said it, and with venom she didn't taste on her tongue right now. She didn't need to ask him. He would come. Encountering him in the chill of the morning after a night spent alert and alone had been a relief.

Lupin let out a lazy sound and stretched his limbs on the couch. "You two sound like you're fighting over who did more to save me. Don't worry. I like you both."

"Nobody asked you anything," Jigen said, then glanced at Fujiko as he was picking a restaurant on his phone. "What are you having?"

"Nothing. What I need is a long shower and a soft bed," Fujiko said.

"You can have both here! Sleep with your head in my lap, Fuji-cakes!"

"Hm, I'm not sure how long that'd stay soft. No thanks. I'm going to my place."

Fujiko didn't normally mind bunking with the guys, but they were staying in Italy for far longer than was typical for them. The morning when she'd stepped into someone's dirty boxers on the floor on her way to the bathroom and then nearly broken her ankle as she'd stumbled over a discarded wine bottle, she'd decided to start renting her own apartment.

As soon as she was out in the street, she fished her phone from her pocket and called Goemon. She wasn't any more worried about his absence than Lupin and Jigen, but something had been eating away at her since things had calmed down in Japan. After they'd dumped the police tank and gotten into a cab driven by Jigen, she'd leaned her head against Lupin's shoulder and pretended to be asleep.

Goemon didn't pick up the phone. Fujiko pursed her lips and tried not to feel irritated. Her apartment was within a walking distance, so she decided to go there and wash off the sweat of a long plane trip.

There weren't a lot of people out, as it was too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Most people were still at work. The old three-storey buildings on both sides of the street made the day appear later than it was. It was shadowy and cool and deserted. Every sound came carried from a distance. Fujiko felt an unsure lurch in her stomach as she looked up and saw the bright blue sky. How out of reach it seemed.

She was grateful for the cars and motorbikes that were parked on the right side of the street. They brought her back to reality. Her bike was among them, and she gave it an affectionate brush of her fingertips as she passed, glad that it was where she'd left it.

The feeling of walking in a dream had been growing ever since the rush of the adventure and the breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji had faded. Fujiko hated not understanding her own feelings. Her steps shouldn't have felt so wobbly. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened in Japan. Lupin's capture and her rescue operation had been just another day in their lives.

Her apartment was on the top floor of an old house with no elevator. She met nobody as she climbed up the stairs, but wonderful sunlight greeted her as she opened the door. She'd left the curtains open so that the apartment wouldn't look empty.

She tried calling Goemon again, but when there was no reply, she put her phone on the kitchen counter and went to fill her tub.

Fujiko let out a tired sigh and sank into the water. It wasn't as hot as she preferred, and she didn't feel like adding any of the expensive scents she had lined up on the shelf. She couldn't help but think of the baths she'd enjoyed in Nekomachi. Italy was proving to be more exhausting than she'd expected, and she didn't like staying in one place for this long. That little visit home had been exactly what she'd needed.

But then… She blew away a strand of hair that was drooping over her face. That idiot Akechi Holmes Kousuke had spent the whole time crowing about how she was a short-sighted fool and easy to manipulate. She didn't care about the marionette, being used as a pawn to arrest Lupin, or even how he'd humiliated and hit her in front of everyone. Small-minded men like him weren't worth crying over.

However, he hadn't been entirely wrong. He had won one battle between them, and Fujiko was finding it increasingly difficult to brush that aside.

He had managed to trick her into believing it was Goemon who'd approached her in her room. She hadn't questioned it for a second. None of it. Not how strange it was that Goemon would follow her to Japan without letting her know, not how out of character it was for him to sneak up on her like that, not how he'd been the one to suggest tricking Lupin. She should have known better.

She'd met Goemon before he'd started working for Lupin. As his initial impression of her as a good woman - whatever that meant for him - had crumbled, it had been replaced by distaste and anger at her methods. Only the desire in his eyes had never changed. Fujiko had known better than to acknowledge it for as long as he saw the world in black and white.

For a while, she'd watched in amusement how Goemon stumbled over his own feet in his attempt to hide his attraction to her while trying to impress her at the same time. In time, he had become less of a brat. He no longer parroted all of Jigen's grumbling about her ways. Fujiko wanted to think he simply saw her as a person now, someone he didn't always agree with but who brought more joy than grief to his life. She wanted to be just Fujiko to him.

How much she wanted that, she hadn't even realized until now.

The man she'd eaten and drunk and laughed with in Japan hadn't been Goemon, but she'd been so happy to think otherwise. She'd thought that maybe things between them were strong enough for them to see if something more could be built there.

Now she was mad at herself. She'd been fooled plenty of times in her life, but the stakes had always been money. That obnoxious excuse of a detective had pulled one over her heart, and not even on purpose.

The sound of her phone brought her back from her thoughts. She jumped out of the tub and ran to the kitchen to see who was calling.

It was Goemon.

"Yes?" she asked as she picked up.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No. Why?"

"You've called me twice. You never do that. I thought it might be an emergency."

Fujiko realized she was standing naked in the middle of her kitchen, dripping a puddle of water on the floor. What a joke.

"Fujiko? Are you there?"

"Yeah, sorry. I was in the bath."

"I apologize. I can call you again later."

"No, wait. It's fine. Where are you? We thought you'd be at the hideout."

"I've learned to enjoy watching the sunset at Piazzale Garibaldi. It's a good way to pass the time when you're by yourself."

He was sulking. Fujiko had no idea about what, but it was clear in his voice. It could be something entirely insignificant, like that the restaurant where he'd eaten hadn't met his expectations, or someone had laughed at his clothes. Goemon had a habit of making a big deal out of everything.

"I'll come over there. I want to talk to you," she said.

"About what? Why -"

She hung up on him and went to get a towel. Good thing she hadn't gotten her hair completely wet yet as it'd take forever to dry it. She tied it up into a messy ponytail and threw on a pair of jeans, a black tanktop and the leather jacket she'd gotten on her first day in Italy. Her helmet was on the couch, her boots at the door, and then she was ready.

Traffic in Rome was a nightmare even at the best of times. Now that people were returning home, the streets were full and everyone was in a hurry. The sun was still up, but the city was hued in golden light and long shadows. Fujiko's heart was thumping, not because she barely missed getting hit by a car that didn't stop at the red light but because she wanted to make it to Goemon before the sun set entirely.

With a few risky moves, it took her only fifteen minutes to ride her bike to and up the Janiculum Hill. There was a free parking spot by the monument to Giuseppe Garibaldi. Fujiko took off her helmet and, upon feeling the tingling in her hands as warmth was returning to them, realized that she'd forgotten to put on her gloves.

More people had come to see the sunset than she'd expected, both tourists and people living in the city. She scanned the square until she spotted Goemon sitting cross-legged on the stone wall. He was watching the city, facing east, so he had his back turned to her and hadn't noticed her yet.

"The sunset is that way," Fujiko said as she approached him. The wall was low, only up to her waist, so she hopped on it to sit by his side.

"I prefer watching the city. There is no better view of Rome anywhere."

He was right. Fujiko had been there before because it was one of the essential places to visit, but never at sunset. She'd been missing out. The sun was behind them, but its diminishing light was painting the sky and vast clouds rich shades of everything between red and yellow. As the sun slowly disappeared, the sky turned a dim color of grayish blue, but in the city, there was light in windows and the streets.

"You weren't at the hideout when we returned," Fujiko said.

"I didn't realize I was supposed to sit there and wait for you with nothing to do."

"What's with that tone? Are you upset that you didn't get to come to Japan?" In hindsight, that was a little weird. Jigen had made it there so quickly after Lupin that he must have gotten on the plane even before she and Lupin had realized they'd been duped. Why hadn't he taken Goemon with him?

"Of course not," Goemon said. "I'm not a child."

"Come on. I can tell you're mad."

"Only at myself. Jigen tried to call me many times to let me know he was going to Japan, but I didn't notice until it was too late."

Fujiko bit her lip not to laugh. "Why do you insist on keeping your phone on silent?"

"It annoys me when it rings," Goemon said, letting out a defensive huff.

Fujiko wanted to ask if he got so many phone calls that it was a problem, but she held the words back. She didn't want to make Goemon any more annoyed than he already was.

"You didn't miss much." She told him in broad strokes what had happened in Japan, but she left out the part where Kousuke had disguised himself as Goemon. She'd add that later, preferably before Lupin had time to laugh about it to his face, but right now she found she didn't want to talk about what a fool she'd been.

Goemon hung his head. "I wish I had been there. I feel useless knowing that I could do nothing when you needed me. I'm sorry."

She hadn't needed him. In fact, she was glad he hadn't been there. Plotting and setting things up with Jigen had been more fun than she'd expected. They almost never had to work by themselves, and it was useful to know they made a good team.

But that'd hurt Goemon's feelings. She patted the hand that was holding his sword in his lap.

"You can be there next time. Just remember to watch your phone."

"I will. I won't miss another chance to make good memories with you three."

He was being overly dramatic, but he wasn't entirely wrong. One reason why she'd gone to Japan had been that she'd wanted to see the lovely autumn colors. In her annoyance, she'd almost forgotten about that until Lupin had showed her the view of Mt. Fuji in the distance. It had been a striking moment that she'd think back to for a long time.

"We don't have to be in Japan to make good memories," she pointed out. "And..."

Goemon turned to look at her. She was startled by the intensity of his expression. Goemon's face was always a stern mask he did his best to wear in any situation, but the way he was looking at her now made her all too aware of how she was still resting her hand on his. She didn't want to remove it.

"And what?"

It was longing on his face, she realized. When they'd first learned to know each other, she'd seen lust darken his eyes, but this was adoration - and despair. He hadn't been with her in Japan, but maybe the events had affected him just as much.

"And…" And they didn't need Lupin and Jigen to make good memories. "Never mind. It's not important."

"How can it not be? Fujiko, I can't bear the thought that if something had gone wrong, I would have been unable to do anything to help you."

She chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. If he kept looking at her like that, like she was the most wonderful thing in the world and like it was tearing him apart she wasn't his, she didn't know what she'd do.

"I wasn't in any danger. He didn't care about me. He thought I was weak and not worth his time."

"He was wrong. You're amazing. You can do anything. You -"

Fujiko covered Goemon's mouth with her hand. He grew quiet, but she thought that the words would keep pouring out if she removed her fingers.

"You don't have to tell me."

His shoulders slumped, and he caught her wrist and pulled her hand away.

"I just wanted to tell you how much I respect and admire you. As a professional and… and everything. You could at least accept my words without interrupting me."

"I brought you a souvenir from Japan," Fujiko said and reached into her pocket. It was nothing more than a travel-sized box of fruit drops that she'd picked up at the airport. The packaging featured a cartoon samurai that she thought was cute.

Goemon made a sour face at the change of subject.

"I appreciate it," he muttered.

Fujiko began to open the box. "What's your favorite?"

"Pineapple."

Fujiko found a yellow piece of candy that she hoped wasn't lemon and popped it into her mouth. Goemon, who'd extended his hand in hopes of getting it, glared at her.

"I thought that was for me," he said.

Fujiko moved the candy around in her mouth and caught it between her teeth to show it off to him. He huffed in annoyance and reached for the box in her hands, but she moved it away from him. When he leaned closer to grab it, she used the chance to kiss him and push the piece of candy into his mouth.

The only reaction from him was a surprised sound and his hands momentarily coming to rest on her arms, but then he pulled back and resumed his rigid pose. He stared at the city below them, sucking on the piece of candy in silence. In the diminishing light, Fujiko could see his face burn with a shade of red that matched the brilliance of the sun from before.

"You're unbelievable. Why do you always torment me?" he asked.

"Wasn't that what you wanted?"

"It was."

"Then why are you mad?"

"I wanted to talk to you. I want to apologize properly for not being there for you in Japan, and to make sure you understand what my feelings are. But it seems you're only mocking me."

"I'm not. I'm just being a little impatient. We've known each other for years, and you've never done more than looked at me."

"If you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"

Fujiko took another piece of candy from the box. "Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake, too. But now that I'm sure, what's the point of wasting time?"

"What happened in Japan?" Goemon asked.

This was her only chance to tell him. If she didn't, he'd hear it from Lupin or Jigen and draw his own conclusions, which might not be in her favor. So, Fujiko explained to him all about that night in Nekomachi, how she'd thought he had followed her and approached her to spend the night drinking and talking, and how the whole thing had turned out to be a ruse.

Goemon's expression grew darker with every word.

"I will kill him," he said and raised his sword before her eyes. "You only have to say when."

"Hey, hey, that's taking it a bit far."

"He tricked you with my face. He took advantage of the trust you have in me."

"I wasn't being careful. I'm not mad that he fooled me."

"Then what is it?"

Fujiko looked at the puzzlement on his face. There was still a tint of red on his cheeks, from either the kiss or the fervor of wanting to avenge her.

"I was happy when he showed up in my room. I thought you had followed me to Japan so we could have some time alone. It was disappointing to realize it wasn't really you," she said. She sighed and leaned her chin in her hand, her elbow on her knee. "I'm annoyed at myself that I bought into it so easily. I've been playing this game long enough to know better."

Goemon reached for the box of candy and put a piece into his mouth. Fujiko watched him suck on it as he thought over her words.

"In that case, would it be acceptable for me to kiss you again?" he asked.

"Why leave it at that? Would you like to stay at my place tonight?"

There was a loud crack as Goemon bit on the candy in his mouth. "Lupin is married to Rebecca. I think it'd come across like I'm taking advantage of that if I -"

"Don't be silly," Fujiko said and let out an annoyed puff of air through her nose. "He has no claim on me. Even when we're going out, you know the arrangement we have. Now that he's busy playing family, it's even less of his business what I do."

She hoped he'd drop that line of argument. Because if he didn't, it just meant he cared more about his camaraderie with Lupin than about what she wanted.

"That's not what I meant. I thought you might be feeling heartbroken over everything that has happened. The marriage was meant to be fake, but he's still in touch with her. They get along like they've known each other all their lives."

"Two peas in a pod," Fujiko said. "But that has nothing to do with us."

Goemon nodded and let out a sound of agreement. Then, slowly, like he was worried sudden movements might make her run, he brought his hand on top of hers in the space between them. It was what Fujiko might have expected from a schoolboy putting the moves on his first crush, but it made her heart beat just a little faster.

She leaned up to kiss him, to which he responded with such hunger that she suddenly couldn't wait to get him back to her place. Fujiko caught both of his wrists and pulled him up with her as she rose to her feet and led him to her bike.


End file.
